"Husband, give me a moment to catch my breath. Another day... I'll make it up to you twice over, I promise!"
"No means no. What do you mean, give you a moment?"
"Get up, or I'll spank you again."
"Smack!"
Ye Lingling shuddered as the blow landed. She was the heir to the legendary Nine Hearts Begonia Martial Soul, the young lady of the Ye family—and yet someone had spanked her.
A burning pain flared. Ye Lingling glared at the wicked-looking young man before her, embarrassed and furious.
His name was Cao Xiyu. He was Ye Lingling's husband and the Ye family's son-in-law.
Ye Lingling couldn't understand it. Her husband was clearly an ordinary person, with zero Innate Soul Power.
And yet his fighting prowess was terrifyingly strong. She already owed him hundreds of times over. She feared she'd never be able to repay him in this lifetime!
Cao Xiyu had no intention of letting her off. "Madam, you don't have to move. I'll do it myself."
What could he do? His name was Xiyu, after all!
Cao Xiyu was a transmigrator who had been in the Douluo Continent for four two-and-a-half-year stretches.
As for what he had done in his previous life, or how he had transmigrated, none of that mattered.
Two and a half hours later, Ye Lingling fell asleep.
Only then did Cao Xiyu stop, lying down beside her.
With a thought, a virtual panel visible only to him appeared.
[Dream Entry Space System.] [Host: Cao Xiyu.] [Identity: Son-in-law of the Nine Hearts Begonia Family.] [Strength: God.] [Techniques and Secret Arts: Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, Nine Yang Divine Skill, Jade Rakshasa Divine Skill, Celestial Sound of the Plain Maiden, Sunflower Spirit Refining Method, one hundred and eight forms of the Spring and Autumn Staff Technique...] [Items: Yin-Yang Mirror, Demon Subduing Pestle, Luo Goddess Scroll, 666 pairs of high heels, 999 pairs of black stockings...] [Points: 3141592.]
The panel hadn't changed much in a long time.
For ten years, Cao Xiyu had lent a helping hand to countless female Soul Masters in the Dream Space. While generously helping others, he had also gained invincible strength.
He had long since become a god, surpassing the limits of the Douluo World by far.
Of course, on the surface, he was only a son-in-law, with zero Innate Soul Power and no redeeming qualities beyond his good looks.
He was very satisfied with his life now.
His wife was gentle, beautiful, and rich. All he had to do was enjoy himself.
"Should I choose a female Soul Master this time? Or a transformed female Soul Beast? Maybe a goddess from the Divine Realm?"
In the Dream Space, he had already meddled in the lives of nearly every beautiful woman in the Douluo World—even the goddesses of the Divine Realm...
Just as Cao Xiyu was fretting over whose name to turn up, the heavens suddenly changed.
Boom!
A deafening crash rang out, as though it were the only sound left in the world.
Boundless golden clouds appeared from nowhere, finally forming a vast Sky Screen.
Every living being felt a stirring in their heart and looked up at the Sky Screen.
Even the blind, and those whose vision was obstructed, could still "see" it clearly.
Faced with this unprecedented and bizarre sight, everyone was stunned.
"What is that? Has the Star Luo Empire invaded?"
"Mom, I can see again! There's a glowing cloth in the sky!"
"Oh, my heavens! This must be a divine miracle!"
Ye Family Fortress.
The tremendous noise jolted Ye Lingling awake. Soul Power surged around her as she stepped in front of Cao Xiyu to protect him.
"Husband, be careful. This Sky Screen is truly strange."
She had never heard of anything like this!
Cao Xiyu rose and looked at the Sky Screen. In an instant, he had deduced everything about it.
"Madam, there's no need to worry. The Sky Screen radiates a peaceful aura. It's an auspicious sign."
Ye Lingling was already used to her husband's habit of muttering cryptically.
"Let's hope so."
A moment later, golden clouds churned across the Sky Screen before gathering into rows of ancient-looking characters.
[The Sky Screen descends, and the Douluo Golden Rankings appear.] [All who make the Golden Rankings will receive generous rewards.] [The first ranking is: Genius Ranking.] [It will list geniuses under the age of twenty-five, with only the top fifteen selected. Rankings will be based on Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power, Soul Power Level, techniques, and more.]
As the Sky Screen's announcement appeared, the entire Douluo Continent erupted.
From the Far North to the Star Dou Great Forest, from the Heaven Dou Empire to the Star Luo Empire, from humble village inns to towering sects, everyone gazed up at the golden Sky Screen.
"The Golden Rankings on the Sky Screen? They're judging the greatest geniuses of our age?"
"Ordinary people can forget about it. There are only fifteen places on the entire continent. Only peerless geniuses have a chance."
An elderly Soul Master stroked his beard, his voice tinged with mixed emotions.
"I've cultivated for sixty years and reached only the Soul Emperor realm. This ranking... belongs to the young."
"Once the Genius Ranking comes out, all the major sects will be shaken to their foundations!" someone said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. "Just wait and see. Those self-important geniuses will be fighting tooth and nail to get on it!"
And that was exactly what happened.
The Spirit Hall, the two empires, countless sects and academies—all of them were stirred into excitement.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
The meeting hall was heavy with tension.
The Sect Master, Yu Yuanzhen, sat in the seat of honor, nine Soul Rings circling him and displaying the terrifying might of a Titled Douluo.
His gaze passed through the hall to the golden Sky Screen in the distance. His expression was complicated.
"Sect Master, the Sky Screen's Golden Rankings are both an opportunity and a challenge for our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan," the First Elder said gravely. "Our sect has countless geniuses. If one of them can make the ranking..."
"If one of them does, it will bring glory to our clan," Yu Yuanzhen cut in. "But what if none of them make the ranking? What will the world think of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? One of the three top sects, yet not a single person worthy of the Sky Screen's notice?"
Everyone fell silent.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was the world's greatest Beast Martial Soul, renowned throughout the land.
But in recent years, the sect had indeed struggled to produce new talent. Among the younger generation, only Yu Tianheng was truly worth mentioning.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi stood at the highest point of the Glazed Tile Pavilion, gazing toward the Sky Screen with a warm smile playing on his lips.
"Fengzhi, you don't seem worried," Sword Douluo Chen Xin said as he stood beside him, his silver hair fluttering and his aura unfathomable.
"Worried about what?" Ning Fengzhi smiled. "That no one from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will make the ranking? Or that making it will bring trouble?"
"Both."
"Uncle Jian, you're overthinking it."
"Rongrong has made astonishing progress at Shrek. Though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can't fight, its support abilities are unmatched across the continent."
Chen Xin nodded slightly.
"As for trouble..." Ning Fengzhi's smile deepened. "Though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect isn't known for its fighting prowess, who in this world would dare look down on us? With Uncle Jian and Uncle Bone, and all the Soul Masters who owe our sect a favor, who would dare lay a hand on anyone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"Give the order," Ning Fengzhi said. "Keep a close eye on the Genius Ranking. Every time a name is revealed, send the full details to my desk. Especially... the geniuses who have ties to Rongrong."
The Clear Sky Sect.
Unlike the composure of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the atmosphere in the Clear Sky Sect was oppressively grim.
Ever since the upheaval years ago, the Clear Sky Sect had shut its gates and withdrawn from the world.
Once the greatest sect under heaven, it now had not a single young genius worth mentioning.
Sect Master Tang Xiao stood before the main hall, gazing at the golden Sky Screen as a complicated expression crossed his eyes.
"Xiao..." he murmured. "If you were still here, what would you think of all this?"
No one answered him.
The mountain wind howled, stirring his robes.